


Best I Ever Had

by mirilik



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Birthday Fluff, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, a little sad harry, au non-famous, bit of an misunderstanding, but nothing major, harrys twentieth birthday, hell be fine, tiny bit of smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-04
Updated: 2015-05-04
Packaged: 2018-03-29 00:01:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3874897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mirilik/pseuds/mirilik
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's Harry's twentieth birthday and he's excited. The excitement flies out of the window though when all of his friends aren't able to come to his party. And worst of all his best friend Louis doesn't even text at all.</p><p>Or the one where Harry is way more loved than he thought he is.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Best I Ever Had

**Author's Note:**

> i may have written this because my birthday was a few days ago and i felt a slight depression because i've turned twenty. wish i had a lovely boy like louis but oh well.
> 
> hope you enjoy it a bit :)

**My Twentieth Birthday :-)**

_You added Neill_  
_You added Lima Bean_  
_You added Zaynie_  
_You added Nick_  
_You added Gems <3 _  
_You added Lewis :)_

_Neill (9.45PM): y do all ur groups have bananas in t name???_

_You (9.46PM): niall… thats not the topic rn.._

_You (9.47PM): besides i líke em ._

_Neill (9.47PM): chill~~_

_You (9.47PM): soooo :) as u guys all know it’s my twentieth birthday in a week (feb 1st !!!!!) and i wanna party with u! so i just thought about a lads night (sry gems :*) and some beers and movies and maybe going out? please say if u guys come - all the love. H_

_Neill (9.51PM): we know its from u haz._

_You (9.51PM): just say u come_

 

It’s silent after that. No further notifications on Harry’s phone that would indicate that someone accepted his invitation. A frown takes over Harry’s face. It may be a bit odd but he’s so excited for his birthday, is like that every year. And his friends should know that. Basically, everything Harry wants is a nice evening to celebrate that he’s no longer the baby of their group of friends by finally leaving his teenage years behind. But no such thing. No one texts. Not even a thank you for the invitation. 

Well, it is quite late after all so maybe they’re just sleeping already. With a sigh, Harry jumps off his couch in his small living room and shuffles into the bathroom. While he’s brushing his teeth, he thinks about the still overwhelming fact that he lives in his own apartment. Without his mum, step dad or his older sister Gemma. He can do whatever he likes, can invite whoever he likes and can just feel like his own boss. It’s awesome, really. 

But in moments like this he feels a bit lost. 

It’s for a few days now actually, that he isn’t quite the person he normally is. Happy and positive and motivated. But at the moment he feels kinda lonely and stressed and just … bad. And he doesn’t even know why. It’s not that anything bad happened. Uni is like ever, his work his okay and he earns enough to afford his small flat with bedroom, living room, bathroom and a small kitchen. He doesn’t have to worry about upcoming exams, which will start again in the first days of March and hey, his birthday is less than seven days away! And all his good mates with celebrate it with him!

After rinsing his mouth and putting some of the good lotion he got from Gemma for christmas, on his face, he makes his way into bed. It’s just when he reaches out to switch off the lamp on his bedside table when his phone lights up with a new notification. A message from Nick. But not in his birthday group.  
With raised eyebrows Harry swipes his thumb over the touchscreen to unlock his phone and read the text.

_Nick (10.03PM): can i bring some of my mates to your party H?_

Harry bites his lip. The thing is, Nick has a lot of mates. And not all of them are people Harry would like to celebrate his birthday with. On the other hand has Nick always awesome parties, so letting him bring his own crowd so the party gets more fire is not the worst thing ever, probably.

_You (10.05PM): sure. how many?_

_Nick (10.06PM): about 4 or 5 i guess. ill let u know hazbear._

_You (10.06PM): ok sleep tight! xx_

He doesn’t get any more answers on this evening. Not from Nick and not from anybody in his group.

 

A small sigh leaves his mouth when he gets ripped out of his lovely dream by the buzzing of his phone. He dreamed of himself and his best friend, Louis, doing a holiday on such as a lonely island somewhere in the middle of the bluest sea Harry’s ever seen. Just comparable to the blue in Louis’ eyes. They had so much fun together. They swam, drank some colourful cocktails and relaxed in the sun. By the end of his dream, they sat on a cuddly blanket in the middle of the beach, the sky pitch black apart from a few stars that glittered their way to the two boys. They talked - he doesn’t know about what, just that it makes his tummy feel all tingly right now - Louis had his head placed on Harry’s broad chest, Harry’s fingers buried in the feathery light hair of his friend. Louis had looked into his eyes then, focus suddenly switching between his own green orbs and his lips and then - the buzzing of his phone.

He’s not quite sure what exactly happened there but Harry would’ve loved to find out what Louis’ next moves would’ve been. 

The dream is long forgotten though, when he sees that he’s got a new message in his birthday group.

_Neill (10.23AM): ayyy so sry mate !! u know jack? hes celebrating his new flat on that date .. invited us a few days back already.. promised him t come. we party nother time yeah?_

_You (10.23AM): oh. yeah i understand thats allright. whos ‘we’?_

_Lima Bean (10.25AM): i’m there too mate.. so sorry we can’t make it._

_You (10.25AM): no worries, boys._

A deep frown is once again present on Harry’s face. Okay so not only Niall but also Liam - reliable, organised and perfectly behaved Liam Payne - isn’t coming to his birthday. His twentieth birthday, which, excuse you, is definitely one of the important ones. And hell, they knew that Harry’s birthday is on the first of February. They have been friends for almost seven years which means at least six birthdays they celebrated together. They knew. And still they got plans for some other shitty party. At Jack’s of all places. The one guy who god knows why doesn’t like him so Harry would of course be the only one who wouldn’t get an invitation for his stupid flat-party. Fucking Jack. 

He huffs out a breath and decides to get up if he’s awake now anyways. No sense in trying to get back to his lovely dream. Which reminds him that Louis didn’t say anything to his birthday. He’s sure that Louis got an invitation from Jack as well, being a teammate in his football club but he would text him if he’d be there too, right? Or probably Liam would’ve texted him that Louis’ there as well. If Louis’ not coming then… then… well - okay, then Harry will still have an awesome birthday. It’s not that Louis Tomlinson is the fucking center of every party and the literal sun that makes everybody’s day better and it’s not that Harry’s currently lying to himself. Nope. He’s definitely not.

 

The next text concerning his birthday comes about three hours later when he’s just about to go to his shift at the café in the lobby of his building. Being a part of Mr. Clarks team has brought Harry not only a rather fun job but also a cheap flat. Mr. Clark is only partly involved in the café he runs with his wife and is also the landlord for this building. After Harry’s boss got to know that Harry still lived in one of the small dorms after four months of studying and a rather unsuccessful search for his own little place to stay, he promptly offered Harry one of his smallest flats that just got vacant. Only three levels higher than the café. 

Harry really liked Mr. Clark. 

He tries to handle his keys, his bag and his phone in both hands at the same time, but finally fails miserably and lets his keys fall onto the floor. He shrugs unfaced, too familiar surely with his own ability of imitating a baby deer and opens the new message in his birthday group.

_Zaynie (1.45PM): so sorry haz but perrie s cousin got her wedding on this weekend over in bradford. we ll be there from thursday on…_

_You (1.46PM): oh a wedding thats so nice! have loads of fun ! <3 _

After he typed his answer Harry sniffles just a bit and is rather positive that his eyes didn’t get wet, thank you very much. 

“Hey ho, hey ho, it’s off to work we go…”, he mumbles under his breath, while grabbing his keys again and locking his flat. Remembering that he always sang this with Louis while they jumped over the pavement towards their school, he realises that Louis still didn’t answer.

 

Work was fine. Nothing special but no one who caused problems either. Mrs. Clark probably guessed that Harry’s not in his best mood so she shooed him out of the café about forty minutes before his shift actually ended. He thanked her with a small smile and a half-assed wave.

At this point he didn’t know that his mood would drop further as soon as he’d have a look on his phone, specifically his birthday group.

_Gems <3 (4.37PM): ill text ya in a minute little bro!_

_Gems left the group_  
_Neill left the group_  
_Lima Bean left the group_  
_Zaynie left the group_

And not even that is the main reason for his drastic mood drop. And also not the fact that Gemma wrote him a few minutes after her text into the group that her boyfriend invited her to his parents for that weekend and hell, Harry knows that Gemma waited for that step a really long time, so he’s happy, really. The one devastating thing is the last activity in his birthday group.

_ Lewis :) left the group _

 

So basically the only ones left in his birthday group are Harry himself and Nick who’s going to bring a bunch of mates. Which is probably good, because hey, Harry doesn’t have any other mates coming. It’d be a lie if he would say that he isn’t pissed. Pissed off and stupidly sad. 

He fights his way into the kitchen and slumps onto one of the chairs around his small kitchen table. 

‘Why does nobody want to spend time with me?’, he asks himself and finally lets his tears flow freely.

 

After crying for a bit and getting way too exhausted to stay anywhere outside his bed, Harry slips into his favourite joggers and a random shirt. It’s just when he’s pulled the shirt halfway down his torso, that he realises that this is definitely not his size. 

“Fucking Louis”, he mumbles, while he rips the shirt of his body and throws it into the corner of his room, next to the door. There was a time that he enjoyed knowing that Louis got so much stuff of his in Harry’s flat, that he practically lived there as well. Okay, Harry enjoyed it until yesterday or so because Louis normally spends about three quarters of the week at Harry’s. And now, that Harry really needs him as a friend he doesn’t even text and makes no effort to explain why he’s not coming to his birthday. Because him leaving the group is answer enough for Harry. 

“Fucking Louis”, Harry mumbles again, voice a bit more broken than before and falls into bed.

 

Louis does text in the next days. But not one word about Harry’s birthday. He’s blabbering about anything and nothing like he always does, cracks stupid jokes and sends selfies rather than listening to his professor in uni how he should do. 

Harry’s not with him though. He answers, sure, but not how he usually would and declines every suggestion what they could do together. It’s shit, because Harry really wants to see his best friend but firstly said best friend needs to understand that he made some mistakes. And Harry won’t give any more hints.

 

It’s one day before his birthday when Nick texts him again. Harry thinks that he’ll finally say how many of his mates will come to Harry’s birthday which isn’t really his party anymore but more Nick’s. He’s just the stupid host who has to pay for drinks. It’s not the text he’s expecting though.

_Nick (5.45PM): shit hazbear i just caught the worst cold ever. i don’t think that i can make it tomorrow :( i’m so sorry. didn’t want to be one of the other douches who cancelled on you… shall i brainwash louis for a bit? i know how much it hurts you, don’t lie to me._

_You (5.52PM): damn it, nick! get better soon, will ya?! thank you for trying to come though… what about your mates?_

_Nick (5.52PM): already told them not to come_

_You (5.53PM): grand. think i’ll just make myself a comfy evening on the couch :) didn’t have one in ages._

_You (5.54PM): and don’t text Louis, please.._

Harry could practically hear Nick’s loud sigh through the chat, before he finally texts his okay.

So now it’s official. He’ll celebrate his twentieth birthday completely on his own.

 

It’s nice that there are so many people in his courses that remember his birthday and give him hugs and pretty smiles. At the café too. Mrs. Clark baked a cake like she always does when it’s one of her employees birthdays. She also hugged him for about ten minutes when he told her his plans for the night and once again shooed him out of the small shop, to _take a relaxing bath and realise how lucky you are with the life you’re living._

Harry had only nodded with a tight smile and left.

 

He’s sitting on his couch for about an hour now. A thick blanket slung around his shoulders, a bowl of cereals in front of him and on telly some stupid reality show he’s not interested in. That’s the problem though. The telly is not really entertaining so his thoughts wander to his “friends” who should’ve been here now (it’s exactly eight thirty, the starting time of his party) to celebrate with him. To have loads of fun and drink and party and play stupid games and go clubbing and all of the shit twenty-year-olds should do. 

It’s eight forty now and he doesn’t realise the tears that slipped out of his eyes, until a knock on his door startles him and he hastily wipes them away. He just hopes that Gemma didn’t call his mum so she would come and pity him. Really not.

He wipes through his face a last time before he opens the door.

“Hazza! I’m so sorry I’m late but I’ve got a good excuse!”, Louis Tomlinson yells with a happy grin on his face and that’s apparently all it takes for Harry to break down and sob loudly. 

“Please Louis, leave that shit now”, he hiccups, turns and shuffles back onto his couch.

“Haz?”, he hears the now very silent voice of his best friend and seconds later feels his warmth present next to him. “Haz, babe, why are you crying?”

“Why are you here?”, Harry ignores Louis’ question and cries even more. 

“What do you mean, why I’m here? It’s your birthday! Of course I’m here with you”, Louis says, reaching tentatively and puts a hand on Harry’s shoulder. 

“But you’re not supposed to! You didn’t say you’d come! I thought you’re going to Jack!”, Harry sobs and manages to glare at his best friend who looks so sad into Harry’s eyes, that he forgets to breathe for a few seconds. 

“Harry… I - of course I’m not going to Jack, when it’s _your_ birthday! I don’t even like that guy that much. And I can see his flat any other time. But it’s your birthday! Your twentieth birthday, babe! I thought it was pretty clear that I’d come, that’s why I didn’t say anything”, he smiles slightly.

Against his will, Harry realises how his body relaxes a bit under Louis’ touch.

“Then why did you leave the group?”, he asks, but turns his body a few inches towards his best friend. They’re already sitting close but Harry wants more of the older boys warmth.

“Because the other boys pissed me off, that’s way! Send them hate messages the whole week and especially today. I just can’t believe that they’re all doing something else on this day. ‘M fucking furious, Haz. Trust me”, Louis rambles and scratches his head lightly. “Think they don’t like me as much now, though”, he jokes while poking his index finger into Harry’s side. It always makes him laugh. Not today though.

“Why does nobody like me, Lou?”, Harry asks cautiously and sounds so miserable that Louis’ small smile vanishes in less than a second.

“Oh Haz”, he sighs and finally puts his arms around his best friends body, to hold him close. “They all love you like a brother! Don’t let it get into your head that they don’t like you, that’s bulshit. Of course it was fucking stupid that everything fell onto this weekend but that doesn’t mean that they don’t like you. Shall I tell you a secret?”, he mumbles, smile once again present on his face. 

Harry just nods and cuddles more into Louis’ chest. Harry outgrew Louis a long time ago but he still likes it to make himself so small that Louis can easily protect him from all the bad in the world.

“They plan a surprise party on another date where everybody’s able to come, Haz”, Louis whispers, nose buried into Harry’s long curls. “But please don’t tell them I told you.”

“Okay”, Harry whispers back.

“Perfect. So now let me show you why I’m late”, Louis chirps happily and taps Harry on his shoulder so he knows he has to get up.

“Don’t wanna Lewis, you’re warm and cuddly”, he mumbles.

Louis’ glad that he can’t see the fond in his eyes right now. Zayn told him more than once that his Harry-stare has gotten worse over the past weeks. 

“C’mon Haz, it’s worth it. I promise we’ll cuddle later.”

“Okay”, Harry whispers once again and after they untangled all their limbs, Louis jumps off the couch and gets his bag he left next to the front door.

“So the reason why I was late is, that I popped into the restaurant again today and negotiated with my boss after about thirty minutes of arguing that I’d get a bottle of champagne for free because I’m like employee of the week or month or something.”

Harry full-on smiles now. Louis’ heart flutters.

“You’re really not, Lou.”

“No, I know that’s why I have to work on sunday a double shift, practically the whole day for nothing. But it’s worth it”, he grins and Harry just shakes his head.

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“I know but I wanted to. So are we fancy and get some glasses or do we stay traditional and drink out of the bottle?”

 

They are tipsy in the good kind of way. All tingly tummies and giggly laughs. Happy grins and feeling more than content in the presence of each other. They are once again tangled under a big blanket on the couch. Louis resting with his back on the side of the fluffy piece of furniture and Harry cuddling onto Louis’ chest, Louis’ arms slung around his broad torso.

“Really you’re so important to us”, Louis breaks the silence after a few minutes and at first Harry’s not quite sure what he’s talking about. “I mean the boys really love you and I don’t even know a person who doesn’t like you and you’re so perfect and charming so please never think that nobody likes you”, he rambles and Harry feels the big smile on his face expand even more. “And… really, I wouldn’t even know what to do if I wouldn’t have you, Haz. You’re like the most important person in my life.”

“What’s with you mum?”, Harry asks cheekily and earns a light slap on his forehead. 

“Nobody can beat my mum, Harold. But… I’m serious. You’re part of my family. When I’m with you I feel like I’m home, you know. I think that’s really special.”

“You’re like home to me, too, Lewis”, Harry mumbles, sleep overtaking his exhausted body. Crying and being sad and then drinking champagne with his biggest crush since ever is really exhausting. 

Louis just hums. 

It’s seconds before Harry’s fast asleep, still in this heavenly state between sleeping and being awake that he hears Louis’ soft voice again.

“You don’t understand, Hazza”, he whispers. “I really love you. I’m _in love with you_ and I think I’m gonna tell you tomorrow. Please stay with me whatever happens, okay?”, he mumbles but Harry is already slipping into deep, relaxing sleep.

 

The dream about their vacation comes back in that night. And Harry wakes up with a big smile when he realises that Louis kissed him this time in his dream. And hell, it was the best feeling ever.

 

Louis’ already awake when Harry lazily blinks at him with a big smile on his face.

“Hi”, he mumbles and nuzzles his face into the crook of Louis’ neck. He’s not sure if Louis’ words from the night before have been part of his dream as well, but neither does Harry want to break this perfect morning by investigating some feelings.

“Hey”, Louis says, smile as big as Harry’s. “Sleep well?”

“Best sleep of my life. Love cuddling with you.”

“I love you.”

Harry’s heart stops. He stills for a few seconds, before he lifts his head and looks into Louis’ ocean blue eyes. “You sure?”, he asks like the stupid fuck he is.

And Louis giggles. The best sound Harry’s ever heard and will ever hear probably. “Of course you idiot. I thought I was quiet obvious.”

Harry shakes his head and keeps staring. Observing Louis’ perfect eyes, his sharp cheekbones and perfectly shaped nose. His thin lips whose taste he desperately wants to know.

“I’d quite like to kiss you now”, he announces and again the angelic sound of a giggling Louis fills the room. 

“I wouldn’t slap you if you did.”

“But morning breath”, Harry pouts and Louis rolls his eyes.

“Shut up and kiss me, you fool!”, he mumbles, before his hands find their way to the back of Harry’s neck and pull the younger boy’s face towards his. 

The kiss starts slow, tentative, neither of them is really sure that this is really happening. And fuck, morning breath be damned it’s probably the most perfect kiss either of them has experienced until now. 

Cautiously, still overwhelmed with the allconsuming presence which is Louis, Harry runs his tongue over Louis’ bottom lip. A small grunt leaves the older man’s mouth before he opens his lips and lets Harry’s tongue explore. 

They kiss languid, slow and so, so loving that Harry’s sure his legs would break down under his weight if he wouldn’t lay on a couch already.

When they part to breathe a bit Harry presses his forehead against Louis’.

“Is that okay?”, Louis asks and Harry can’t help but chuckle lightly.

“No”, he grins cheekily and draws back a bit to have a look at Louis.

“No?”, he asks confused and Harry sees the slight panic grow behind Louis’ eyes.

“No, I want more”, Harry breathes against Louis skin and kisses and licks his way over Louis’ jaw to his earlobe before he lightly bites into the skin. 

“Oh god”, Louis moans, hands wandering over Harry’s back until he can slip his fingers under the shirt and feel the smooth skin under his fingertips.

It doesn’t take him that long to get Harry out of his clothes and then onto his back so he can hover over him, trace every part of skin with his tongue and finally get a hand around Harry’s hard cock, loving every sound the younger boy makes with every movement of his hand. 

They exchange sloppy kisses with more tongue than lips and pant into each other’s mouths while Louis first brings Harry over the edge and by the feeling of Harry’s cum dripping over his fingers, feels his own orgasm hit and paints Harry’s torso with white. 

“Shit”, Harry sighs after they both come down from their high and can’t help but kiss Louis again, chastely on the lips this time.

“Harry?”, Louis asks not caring that he’s lying in Harry’s and his own cum, feeling way too happy.

“Yeah?”, Harry breathes and nibbles at Louis’ jawline.

“‘M sorry but I’m quite happy that I was the only one who could come to your birthday.”

“Hm”, Harry mumbles. “And in the end I was able to come too.”

“Urgh”, the older boy huffs out a breath and lets his forehead fall onto the pillow next to Harry’s head. “I hate you.”

“You love me.”

“Yeah”, he smiles and once again stares into Harry’s emerald eyes, the probably most beautiful eyes he’s ever seen.

“I love you, Louis”, Harry mumbles, cheeks flaming red with excitement.

“Love you too”, Louis answers and seals their lips together.

 

And if they both come to the surprise party one week later with their fingers linked together and celebrate Harry’s birthday once again, with all their friends more than happy that these two idiots finally got their shit together and nobody really catches the moment when Louis and Harry leave after just an hour to explore each other’s bodies for the hundredth time this week, well it’s probably the best birthday Harry ever experienced until now.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading :) sorry for any mistakes! comment here or write me on my [tumblr! ](http://mirilik.tumblr.com/)
> 
> lots of love!


End file.
